Diagnosing Direct-X Problems

This program is designed to use Microsoft's DirectX 9.0c or higher technology, which provides components and drivers to enhance every aspect of high performance applications. In order to run this program with the best possible performance, your video card should be DirectX 9.0c-compatible with certified DirectX 9.0c drivers properly installed. If you experience display difficulties, a likely source of the issue is an outdated or incompatible driver.

When you installed Direct X on your machine (or it was installed for you) a program called DxDiag was installed with it that will collect information we need in order to diagnose problems you may be having with our products and the DirectX installation on your computer.

To open the DxDiag, proceed as follows:

From the Windows Taskbar, click on Start and select Run.
In the Open: field, type DXDIAG. Click on OK or press the Enter key on your keyboard.

The program will begin to gather information about your system and the Diagnostics Tool will open with the System tab in the foreground. NOTE: If your system is unable to locate a copy of DXDIAG, it most likely means that a recent version of DirectX is not installed on your computer. You may download a recent version of DirectX from the Microsoft web-site at the following address: http://www.microsoft.com/directx/homeuser/downloads/default.asp

DxDiag will take a few minutes to gather all of the relevant information on your system. If you are a beta program member, or have a support agreement with us, once DxDiag has completed gathering information on your system, press the button at the botton with the caption 'Save all Information...' This will prompt you for the name of a file to save all the captured data to. Once you've done this, close DxDiag, and mail the file to support@vibrant3d.com - Please note that any mail sent to this address MUST originate from an email address registered with our system and associated with a commercial license or beta license. Any mail from other addresses is automatically deleted.

If you do not have an official support agreement with us, here is some information on DxDiag that may help you to troubleshoot your DirectX installation.

When DXDIAG starts, the following tabs will be displayed:

System	The System tab contains system information about the computer and specifies the version of DirectX installed on your computer. The system information includes: system date, computer name, operating system version and language, processor type, memory, swapfile size, and DirectX version.
DirectX Files	The DirectX Files tab contains the filenames and version numbers for all DirectX files installed on the computer. If DXDIAG detects any problems with any DirectX files, a warning will be displayed in the Notes box.
Display	The Display tab contains detailed information about your display settings, and allows you to disable hardware acceleration for DirectDraw, Direct3D, and AGP Texture. On this tab, you can also test DirectDraw, Direct3D, and AGP Texturing. If DXDIAG detects any problems with any display settings or driver files, a warning will be displayed in the Notes box. Be sure to note the Name of your video card and the amount of video RAM that it contains.
Sound	The Sound tab contains detailed information about the sound card settings and driver. On this tab, you can test DirectSound and lower the Sound Hardware Acceleration Level. If DXDIAG detects any problems with the sound card or driver files, a warning will be displayed in the Notes box.
Music	The Music tab contains the current MIDI settings. On this tab, you can test DirectMusic. If DXDIAG detects any problems with any MIDI settings, a warning will be displayed in the Notes box.
Input	The Input tab contains the input devices (Joystick, Gamepad, Steering Wheel) connected to the computer and the input drivers installed on the computer.
Network	The Network tab contains a list of the Network drivers installed and running on the computer. From this tab you may test DirectPlay. At any time during the troubleshooting, the DirectX information can be saved to a text file by clicking on the Save All Information button.
More Help

If your sound and display drivers are not listed as Certified, contact your computer manufacturer to verify that the drivers currently installed on your system are the latest available and that they are compatible with DirectX. If Certified drivers are not available, drivers that are compatible, but not certified, should run the program with an acceptable level of performance. If your sound and video card drivers are not compatible with DirectX, the program may not run properly.

Updating Drivers

Installing the latest available driver for your video card, sound card, and CD-ROM drive can result in a variety of benefits, including increased system performance, new component features, or the elimination of a technical problem. If your computer locks up, the video appears choppy, or the screen goes black, an updated video driver may solve the problem. An updated sound driver may result in crisper, clearer sound. A new CD-ROM driver can add new features while eliminating lockups and error messages. Computer system and component manufacturers are constantly updating their drivers so that their hardware can play the latest software programs with the best possible performance. If you determine that your system is not using the latest driver, or your current driver is dated earlier than one year prior to today©s date, you should consider obtaining an updated driver. If your video card, sound card, and CD-ROM drive were included with your system at the time of purchase, contact the manufacturer of your computer system about obtaining the latest version of a driver. If you have purchased a system component separately from your computer system, contact the component manufacturer to obtain the latest version of the driver. Updated drivers are frequently available from the Internet. Refer to your hardware documentation for contact information. Please be aware that charges may be incurred.